Westfield Tower, Bridgwater

In response to a request from the Leveller, yesterday Homes in Sedgemoor (HiS) issued a statement on the fire risk at their social housing blocks. Westfield House, a ten storey block and a series of low rise blocks that surround it are all managed by HiS. There will be a full article in the July Leveller but in the meantime residents in Bridgwater will want to be aware of the some of the more important points raised by HiS:

“We can confirm that we have current and up-to-date fire risk assessments on all of our low rise blocks and our one 10-storey high rise block, Westfield House in Bridgwater.” However given the circumstances and the tragic events in North Kensington that is probably the minimum residents were wanting to hear. Importantly they also confirmed to us that “In light of the recent tragedy we have also asked for a new Fire Risk Assessment to be undertaken next week and will also be undertaking some intrusive surveys of the external cladding at Westfield House to determine if any remedial works are required”

Finally residents should be aware that HiS, together with Somerset Fire and Rescue “have undertaken a number of exercises to make sure that in the event of an emergency the Fire and Rescue service is able to attend and deal with any issues in an effective and efficient manner. Following each exercise a full de-brief is undertaken to discuss lessons learnt and improvements that can be made.”